Brent Venables explains decision to name Michael Hawkins starter

Oklahoma benched starting quarterback Jackson Arnold on Saturday in a game against Tennessee, turning to backup Michael Hawkins the rest of the way.

And Hawkins will remain the starter coming out of that loss, coach Brent Venables revealed to the media. According to Venables, Arnold just wasn’t getting it done and his repeated mistakes called for making a change.

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“It was just getting away from us,” Venables explained. “If it was still 3-3 you might be able to tolerate it.”

Going forward, Oklahoma will be hoping Michael Hawkins can provide a spark and some improved play at the position. He finished the Tennessee game 11-of-18 passing for 132 yards and a touchdown, while he also rushed for 22 yards.

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“Maybe this will give us a better chance moving forward,” Venables said. “Believe in Mike. I made that announcement for lots of reasons, certainly didn’t want a decision like that to hang over anyone’s head. And we’ve got to get better. Sometimes maybe change is good.

“We’ve got to get better there and think that maybe Mike will come in. He’s a very talented guy. Not a really experienced guy, but he has certainly shown that he’s got the right stuff to do it at different times since he’s been here.”

A freshman, Michael Hawkins has now played in two games this season. He’s thrown just 22 total passes, so he’s still very raw.

But as a prospect, Hawkins was a coveted guy. He was a four-star recruit, ranked as the No. 260 overall recruit in the 2024 class. He was the No. 18 quarterback in the class.

Don’t be surprised, though, if Arnold still gets another call at some point. The change will last only as long as Michael Hawkins can prove it makes sense.

“Ain’t nobody throwing anybody away from a player standpoint,” Venables said. “We’ve got to get guys better and we’ve got to develop them and, like I said, we’ve got to do a great job of putting them in a successful position.”